Sunday, June 27, 2010

Foodie Weekend in Atlanta

The amount of food I've eaten in the past two days is ridiculous. It's beyond ridiculous actually. Let's start with Friday night, shall we? And warning, if you're hungry while reading this, I hate to tell you, but you'll be hungrier.

Let's go.

Friday night Alison and I headed into Atlanta for a night out with Jennifer and Ashley. Jennifer is moving to the Dominican Republic until August to work in an orphanage. She wanted sushi and dancing before she left. So for dinner we hit up Twist. Two things you should know about me before we talk about the food. First of all, I'm not a sushi fan. I love seafood. I flove it. But sushi? It's just never been for me. Secondly, I want to like Thai food. So badly. But the one time I ever ate it was in Pasadena and I hated it. So I've been hesitant to try it again. Friday night, I ate sushi and Thai. Whaaat? First of all, we started off dinner with their calamari. I've never come across calamari that I didn't love. Ever. And Twist, well they just put calamari on a whole new level. Drizzled over the top was a lemon aioli. Delicious explosion in my mouth! Calamari will NEVER be the same. Now onto dinner. I debated for a while but decided to order the Thai curry with shrimp and chicken. Holy, spicy goodness!! It was so amazing! Needless to say, I want to try everything Thai now!

Delicious.

And onto the sushi. No, I didn't order it myself. I'm not there yet. But I tried some of Ashley's. And while it was just the basic California roll, it was good. I liked it. I need to expand. I want to expand. Someone please tell me what to expand to next!

In honor of Josie, I had the white sangria. So good.

So all around, Twist was a good time. The food was great, the drinks were great, the company was great. It's a really cool environment. Loud, lots of young people enjoying food and drinks after a day at work. Cool place. I'd go back. But luckily we got there at the right time because the line was out of control when we left.

After Twist we headed over to East Andrews. In this area there are actually several bars that you can hop around to and from. We started at East Andrews. The people there were too fratastic for me. Too tight polo shirts, popped collars, and way too much try. After a bit we headed up to 8 Traxx. A 70's and 80's disco? Yes, please! I've actually been to this place twice. But as Andrews Upstairs.

The first time it looked like this:

Bobby Long, Take 1.

The second time it looked like this:

Bobby Long, Take 2.

Friday night, it looked like this:

Yes, that is a cage.

So we walk into 8 Traxx and they are playing the best music ever! There are black lights and a disco ball. And the above cage. And NO ONE was dancing! What??? How can you not dance to Michael Jackson? Or Whitney Houston?! So we hung out on the dance floor for a bit, not really dancing because, well...we were basically on display for all to see since no one else was on the floor, but after a while a few people came down. And then. AND THEN, this girl came in dancing her little heart out. And it was the funniest dance moves I have ever seen in my entire life. She bounced. Everywhere. With every move she did, she bounced. I'm kicking myself now for not getting the camera out and recording it because it was priceless. We were laughing so hard.

Alison, me, Jennifer.

Once the dancing girl left, there wasn't much for entertainment so we made our way home.

Saturday morning Alison and I got up and went for a walk. A short one because well, it's Atlanta and it's hot. And humid. And it's worse in the city. Then we hopped in the car and head to....wait for it....PINKBERRY!!!

Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play.

You heard me right, folks. Pinkberry has made the leap across the country and graced Atlanta with its presence, buying me a few more months (years?) until I must move there. My first Pinkberry experience was probably the best experience I've ever had in a...would you call this a restaurant? Anyway, we walked in and were greeted with "Welcome to Pinkberry!" from every employee there. We walked up to the counter and the guy asked us if it was our first time. We said yes and he said, "Well, want to try every flavor?" And who's going to say no to that?! So the tasting began. The coconut was surprisingly good. I like coconut flavored things. Not so much coconut itself; It's the texture. But I was kind of hesitant about coconut frozen yogurt and shockingly, it was really good. He gave us the original and said it was the tangiest. I disagreed. It was good, but why get original when you can get a flavor? Like chocolate. Oh my God the chocolate was out of this world. So creamy. So sweet. So good. Then there was the pomegranate. It too was really good. Then came my favorite. Mango. It was a HOT day in Atlanta Saturday and this mango froyo was the perfect refresher. And then there was their seasonal watermelon flavor. Again, on such a hot day it was rather refreshing. And then I had to decide. What to do?? In the end I went with the watermelon because it's only going to be around for six more weeks.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Watermelon froyo with fresh watermelon, cucumber, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and mango, topped with a watermelon puree?? Heaven. Absolute Heaven. And let me just say, these fruits they added were by far the freshest, sweetest, most delicious fruits I've ever put in my mouth. And I eat a TON of fruit. It was so delicious. And we left wanting more.

After Pinkberry we headed back to my sister's and spent the day at the pool. And it was stifling. It was so hot that sweat was pouring off of me in a matter if minutes. I worked on more paintings for Reese's nursery and because of that, the tops of my knees and my back were a little burnt.

I always seem to end up painting by the pool...

After a while it was impossible to be outside for longer than 10 minutes without being in the pool. And then the water wasn't even that cool. Oh well, that's Atlanta in the summer for you.

Finished product. They'll hang above her crib.

When we finally couldn't take the heat anymore, we headed back inside to get ready for another night out on the town! And is it just me or does anyone else love the way their makeup looks with sun kissed cheeks? I might be weird, but I just love the way makeup looks with a little sun. Anyway, we got ready and after a stop at Sephora were off to Atlantic Station for Girl's Night out with Brittney, Cassie, and Payton! We met for dinner at Rosa Mexicano.

They don't tell you they bring you a whole pitcher when you order a single Sangria....oops.

The best part about this place is the guacamole. It's fresh. They make it there. Like right in front of you at your table. And it is the best guacamole I've ever tasted. So yummy.

So cool.

That was only supposed to serve 2-3. Yeah right!! So much guacamole!

So funny story. The part of the restaurant we sat it overlooks the grassy area in the center of Atlantic Station. When we got there I remembered that they were showing Twilight and New Moon there Saturday night as part of the 12-city Eclipse night or whatever. So when we sat down, the stage was directly behind us.

Exhibit A.

When we first sat down, there was a Paramore cover band playing. They were pretty good! Then we started wondering what actor/actress was going to show up. Enter Daniel Cudmore.

All six foot, six inches of him.

The movies do him no justice because he is seriously attractive!!

It was exciting. People were screaming. We watched as he answered questions. But from the comfort of an air conditioned restaurant without the screaming girls. So after that excitement, it was time to eat.

I had no idea what Kilwins was until recently when Iris and Josie were always raving over it. I finally checked into it to see what it was and low and behold, there was one in Atlantic Station. Of course, I had to make a visit while we were there!

And we walked in to this.

And this.

And I felt like this was appropriate since we'd just seen Daniel Cudmore.

Cassie and me with our purchases.

Chocolate covered marshmallows, rice krispie, ritz crackers, and a pb cup. And no, I did not eat all of this at once! Kill me.

We gathered up our purchases and then found a table outside to eat and chat. And take pictures, of course!

Typical.

The real deal.

Brittney O.

And as if we hadn't eaten enough at this point, we decided to drive twenty minutes to the Cumberland Mall area to introduce the B, C and P to the greatness that is Pinkberry and round two of dessert.

One day. Two trips. Because can you ever have too much Pinkberry?

Group shot!

The designer in me LOVES this.

Remember how I said the service was incredible earlier in the day? Well, they didn't disappoint late at night either. They were all smiles and ready to serve. And the place was packed out! And there may have been some Michael Jackson playing and there may have been some dancing from the employees. So awesome.

Pinkberry x5

This time I went with the mango. With all the same toppings. Except for the watermelon puree and kiwi. I forgot about them. Sad.

I'm happy! (again with the phone!!)

And then when ours was all gone, they came and offered us samples. I took watermelon and chocolate. As if I hadn't eaten enough froyo that day!

Before we left, Alison and I HAD to demonstrate the dancing we had witnessed the night before. We call it, "the girl at 8 Traxx." It was hilarious.

And I love this picture.

Think I had a great weekend, or what? I probably gained 20 pounds but it was so worth it! It was great seeing and hanging out with all the girls. And we've decided that it will happen monthly. Dinner in Atlanta. And we'll always end with Pinkberry.

Always.

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend. And here's to a great week ahead.

1 comment:

About Me

Apparently this is now a food blog. The past 6+ years have been full of trial and error as I've been dedicated and determined to live a healthier lifestyle. In the process I've managed to lose 60 pounds and have conditioned myself to complete two half marathons. I don't claim to be an expert on anything I post, I just know what I've learned works for me. I've sporadically ventured into the world of clean eating and would love to do so more. That's not to say there won't be posts about cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, and every other dessert possible because I don't believe in completely depriving myself of those treats because then life would be so boring! So with that, let's eat!